The invention relates to a roller bearing replacement device for replacement or exchange of a roller bearing of a roller hearth furnace comprising: a housing that is sealed off from the external atmosphere, which has a sluice that can be coupled on the roller hearth furnace through which access to a roller bearing that is to be demounted is possible from the inside of the housing while excluding the external atmosphere, and at least one roller bearing handling device for demounting and installing roller bearings that is arranged moveably in the housing and is designed so it can be moved out at least partially through the sluice.
The invention further relates to an assembly with a roller hearth furnace for heat treatment of work pieces and a roller bearing handling device that is designed and constructed for replacement of roller bearings, in which the roller bearing has a bearing support with a flange on the side that is assigned for the roller bearing replacement device for each roller bearing that is to be placed, and in which the roller bearing replacement device has a housing that is sealed off from the external environment or atmosphere, which has a sluice that can be coupled on the roller hearth furnace, and through which access to a roller bearing that is to be replaced from the inside of the housing is possible while excluding the external atmosphere, and at least one roller bearing handling device that is designed and constructed for demounting and installing roller bearings, that is arranged in a moveable manner in the housing and can at least partly be moved out of the sluice.
Finally the invention relates to a process for replacement or exchange of roller bearings of a roller hearth furnace by means of a roller bearing replacement device, in which the roller bearing replacement device is moved laterally near the roller hearth furnace to the position of the roller bearing that is to be replaced, the roller bearing is decoupled from a drive unit and then the roller bearing replacement device is moved towards the roller hearth furnace to the roller bearing that is to be demounted, in which a sluice of the roller bearing replacement device is coupled in a gas-tight manner on the roller bearing furnace.
A roller bearing replacement device of the type identified at the start is for example known from the patent DE 10 2011 079 771 A1, in which from this application a process for roller bearing replacement according to the type identified at the start is also to be taken. This known roller bearing replacement device is moveable laterally near the roller hearth furnace and has an enclosed carrier roller bearing handling device, i.e. a roller bearing replacement device housed in a housing of the roller bearing replacement device. For roller bearing exchange or replacement, the roller bearing replacement device is moved alongside the longitudinal axis of the furnace and positioned at the appropriate exchange position. Then a sluice of the roller bearing replacement device is screwed on in a gas-tight manner to the roller bearing replacement device, so that a gas-tight insulation exists between the inside of the housing of the roller bearing replacement device and the environment. In case of a roller bearing replacement, a lance of the roller bearing handling device travels into the hollow roller bearing in order to lift the roller bearing that is to be replaced and to pull the roller bearing out of an opening that is designed and constructed in the wall of the roller hearth furnace, in which the roller bearing is placed in a rotatable manner while in operation. In this roller bearing replacement device it is assumed that the screwed on flange connection ensures absolute gas-tightness, without a monitoring of the gas-tightness taking place directly after the docking of the roller bearing replacement device on the roller hearth furnace or even during the roller bearing replacement or exchange process. In addition, the screwing on to create a flange joint represents a disadvantageous expense, that is circumstantially time-consuming and for which personnel need to be deployed and used.